Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/408

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

Clarence Porter Jones, M. D. Dr. Clar- ence Porter Jones, a prominent medical prac- titioner of Newport News, descends from one of the old Virginia families, founded by Thomas Jones on Crooked Run, in Brunswick county, Virginia, about 1727. During a per- iod of thirty-three years, beginning with 1727, he received grants of land in that county and in what is now Lunenburg county, amounting in all to seven and one- half square miles. The tract is on the south side of Nottoway river, and both sides of Crooked Run, and the grants were issued by George II. The descent of the family is traced to Ednowain-Bendew, the chief oi the XIII. Noble Tribe of North Wales and Powys, who died in 1079. There were nu- merous royal land grants made to people bearing this name from 1726 to 1770, who were supposed to locate in Brunswick county. E\idently all were not actual set- tlers. Five came from Cardiganshire, Wales, who were related to one another, and settled in the northern part of the county, namely : William, Reps, Richard, Robert and Thomas, the last named being the ancestor whose descendants are now under consideration. The family bore coat armor, consisting of three wild boars' heads on a plain shield, separated by a chevron, two above and one below, with a mantle and crest. The crest consisted of an upright dagger on the handle of which rested another boar's head. The motto, translated from Welsh, is: "With- out help from above the arrow flies in vain."

Thomas Jones and family experienced much trouble with the Genitoe, a neighbor- ing tribe of Indians, who resented the settle- ment upon their lands. Tradition relates many tales of their skirmishes and escap- ades. On on: occasion, Thomas Jones, re- ceived a wound in the thigh from a gun in the hands of an Indian warrior, with whom he was personallv acquainted. His wife picked out the bullet and remoulded it. As soon as he recovered he instituted a search for the Indian, and after four months found and killed him with the same bullet. The Jones family has ever been most law abid- ing and peaceful, and furnished many valu- able citizens, but when ofTended or imposed upon always exacted redress, as indicated by the above incident. Tradition states that Thomas Jones was killed by a vicious ram. It is perhaps needless to state that the fam- ily did not conform to the usages of the

Established English church. Three of his grandsons were soldiers of the revolutionary war. Another grandson, Thomas Jones, lost his thumb by being run over by an ox cart while hauling the materials to build the "Crooked Run Homestead," and was re- jected for military service as unable to handle fire-arms. The sons of the first Thomas were : Thomas, Robert, Reps, Wil- lis, Richard, James and Armstead. The sec- ond son was in the American army at York- town when Lord Cornwallis surrendered, and died soon after. His descendants moved to Georgia and Alabama. An authentic rec- ord of the descendants of the eldest son Thomas has been preserved. The senior Thomas Jones died about 1755, and was suc- ceeded in possession of his lands by his eldest son, Thomas, who also had other tracts in his own right. The family home- stead was in what is now Lunenburg county about ten miles south of Blackstone, and the lands are a part of the estate of the late William Gregory. Soon after the death of the father, the son moved about seven miles east in Brunswick county, near the con- fluence of Crooked Run with the Nottoway river, and the settlement was called Crooked Run. This property has always been owned by a male descendant, being now in the hands of James William Jones, a great- grandson.

Thomas Jones, Jr., born 1720, died in 1785. Name of his wife is not known. He was one of the oldest volunteers in the revolu- tionary war, being past sixty when he re- cruited several companies, and his zeal be- came so inflamed that he enlisted in William Johnston's company, Daniel Morgan's regi- ment, as that regiment passed his home. He told his wife he did not know when he would return and it was nine months before he returned broken in health, and he died soon after. He had two sons and a daugh- ter. The latter married and moved to some point in Virginia or North Carolina, now unknown. One son died without issue, and the other, Stephen, is of further mention.

Stephen Jones, born 1742, inherited the Crooked Run estate, the home of his father, on which he lived until his death, in 1807. The name of the location was changed to Jonesboro, by which name the post office is now known. He married, 1764, Anna Claiborne, of Brunswick county, Virginia, born 1747, died 1812. He was a noted Bap-